The work was presented to, and debated by, the First Continental Congress. When this took place, Jefferson did not attend. Despite his attempts, Congress agreed to a more moderate decision than Jefferson's proposed concept. Despite not being able to completely convince Congress, friends of Jefferson printed the Summary in a pamphlet form. It was distributed throughout "London, "New York and "Philadelphia. Research states that the document "helped establish Jefferson's reputation as a skillful, if radical, political writer."[1]